Thursday, July 18, 2013

Was I Being Scammed??

You know that feeling you get when you think you're being scammed? Well, I had this feeling yesterday. It wasn't overwhelming, it was just riding under the surface. Still, it was there and I was aware of it, but not screaming in my face.

I bought some running shoes yesterday. The hubs and I joined a gym and I haven't bought new shoes in 10 years, so, I went to the mall and found a store that sold workout kind of shoes. I decided to go in and check it out. It was a typical store with blaring music and tatted up sales people. The kind of store, where in my 20's I'd think was kinda cool. But now in my 40's, is completely annoying. Why does the music have to be so loud? Loud enough that you practically have to scream to hear each other speak.

My sales lady was very "energetic" (I put this in quotes because her energy seemed to be coming from a pill and not a natural high) and helpful (thankfully). I've heard from a friend that this store can be horrible with customer service. Many times she has walked out for blatantly being ignored. Well, this should have been my cue to leave. But, the sales lady was already in the back pulling shoes for me. This was when the first inkling of me being scammed came washing over me.

She comes back with my shoes, they aren't quite right, so she goes back to find another pair. In the meantime, another sales guy comes to help me. They all seemed nice enough and played with Bean while I was busy trying on shoes. They had their little banter session then rang me up. This is where I really felt like I was being scammed.

I walked up to the register. They were already in the process of ringing me up. I saw that they had placed two spray bottles of something next to my shoes. I'm assuming some kind of protectant or cleaner for the shoes? Anyway, I witnessed an odd interaction between the two sales people that were helping me. The girl says to the guy, to ring it up with her discount. This is all said with a hushed tone and averted eyes. Then she leaves.

The guy says to me what the total was and I asked why it was so much. $45 more than what I had expected. He proceeds to tell me that what the spray is for and how to use it and I stop him and say I didn't ask for that. I did not want that. He looks at me and says, "Oh. She said she told you about it and was giving you her discount". Well, that was a total lie. She never mentioned that to me. Plus, I never buy stuff like that.

She comes back to the register and he says to her that I didn't want it. She looks at him and, I swear it was a look of "Why did you say anything?" and she walked off.

My total was adjusted and I left. I will never shop here again. It made me feel uncomfortable.

4 comments:

You were totally being scammed! Never buy shoes at a mall store unless its a department store or a big box store (like a sporting good store that buys so many they can afford to sell them at a steep mark down). Justin and I both worked at a sporting goods store in college and had many mall employee roomies during that time. Its always a scam, and they get paid so little their paycheck is dependent on getting you to buy the extras. Especially here in California. Next time go to Nordstrom where you know you're getting a reasonable price and a quality item with a solid return policy; or a local running store where you're paying for expertise, supporting your community and making running connections.

They are very cute though. That's what really counts. :) And I have a pair of Nike Free shoes I wear to work out, not run but regular gym stuff. They are so comfortable. I got them at the Nike store in Eugene. You'll be happy with them.

I wore them yesterday to go to the gym. They were super comfy and I was happy that I chose that particular style of Nike. They hug your feet, which is nice for me, cause I feel like my feet are a bit on the narrow side. I'm totally happy with them!

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Welcome! Thanks for visiting my tiny piece of the web! I'm Joanie and I am a stay at home mom to 3 very active, crazy boys. This blog is about our happiness and struggles, crafting and design, cooking, cleaning and whatever else happens upon us in our day to day. So, grab some coffee or a cocktail and stay a while....I'd love to have you!